Mar 7 Our Build-On-Your-Lot Experience: Part 2

If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you may remember this post I wrote back in October, which covered the “how” and “why”, as well as detailed the first half of our current build-on-your-lot experience. That post ended at the framing stage of the home, which looked like this:

And here’s what’s happened since then:

Next, we had windows and plywood walls, but no roof!

Then came the roof and my husband pre-wired the surround sound for the speakers in the living room. And then we saw the installation of plumbing, electrical, and insulation.

Next, we had some pretty exciting progress on the exterior with the addition of siding, paint, and an actual shingled roof!

Back inside, we were dry-walled, taped, mudded, and the cabinets arrived.

Then they were installed, along with the countertops, appliances, backsplash, flooring, and the first coat of paint. This is when it actually started to look like a real house!

A few fun, in-progress detail shots:

Outside, we finally had the cedar shutters installed and they (along with the porch posts) were stained. We also received our real front door (so long, ugly construction door!). Then, the final step outside was the addition of a bit of topsoil around the base of the house to help with drainage:

Of course, there were still quite a bit of infrastructure changes happening outside to make all of this possible on the inside: likethe water well storage tank and the trenches to run the plumbing and electrical to the house and a future RV pad site.

And finally, I can't leave out all of the "fun" building projects my husband and father-in-law undertook in December and January (the coldest months of the year, right?!). They managed to level a spot for a playground for the kids, build them a swingset for Christmas, AND build the back deck. We have to wait a few months before we can stain the wood on those, but don't they look great??

Did we have issues during this phase of construction? Yeah, a few, but they were all minor (a dryer vent that had to be moved, a few tile do-overs, and the wrong cabinet doors, for example). But all-in-all, our project manager did a fantastic job of keeping everything on track and ensuring it was all done well. The real hang-up with this build was the bank. Let's just say they mixed up some paperwork that pushed our closing date into March...our lease on our rental was up Feb 28th. So how did we avoid being homeless? We struck up a deal with our builder to move in before closing; they truly saved the day!

Speaking of moving...I'd like to take just a second to mention something that made our move so much easier (and eco-friendly!). Have you heard of ReBin? This is a locally owned and operated business in San Antonio that delivers plastic bins to your doorstep for your move. No more searching for free boxes or buying them new. No more putting them together and breaking them down. No more hauling them off to recycling. No more packing tape! Simply place your order and they're brought to your doorstep, along with zip ties, labels, and these awesome dollies/carts that you use to move them around your house. So easy and perfect for a local move! When you're done, ReBin comes to your new house and takes them away. Seriously, this service is amazing so do yourself a favor and check it out for your next move!

And something else that was a total lifesaver during our first week in the new house was Dinner Elf. This is an Austin-based small business that has just recently expanded to the San Antonio area. They provide fully trained and background-checked professional chefs that do your grocery shopping, then come to your house to cook from-scratch, healthy meals for your family. Then they package everything up, put it in the fridge, clean, and leave! Who has time to be making dinner and cleaning up the mess every night when you're in the middle of a move? And you have kids? And they're in school??? No one! We would have eaten a whole lot more junk/take out without Dinner Elf, that's for sure. You can read all about our fantastic experience with this company here. We love it so much, I think we'll continue to use it even after we're through with the move!

Now, if you remember the previous post, all of this is really just one big step to get us to where we really want to be, which is in the house that comes AFTER this one. So, we've continued to search for a floor plan for that next home as well. In the meantime, I guess we'll just have to put up with these awful sunrise views from the deck of this house for a while 😉:

Thanks to all of you who have shown an interest in this part of our story. I can't wait to write the next one when we're fully moved in and have some fantastic projects to show you. More to come! 😊

Did you enjoy this post? Want to see more like it? Subscribe here for the weekly newsletter!